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Pirates Among Us: Silk Road, Tor, and the Internet Drug War

By Harriette Modified on: October 6, 2015 Published on : August 27, 2013Harriette

Pirates Among Us:

There are pirates among us. But today's pirates don't wear hats with skulls and can't be found on the open seas. Modern pirates battle the DEA and run sites like Silk Road. Dread Pirate Roberts is the best known pirate of them all, but he's not the only one that wants a piece of the Internet drug pie.

According to a recent Forbes article, Dread Pirate Roberts, and other site investors, have managed to amass millions in profits through the illegal drug trade site. There's about to be a battle on the Internet seas, though, as the DEA narrows in on Pirate Roberts. A new company called Atlantis is seeking to attract some Silk Road buyers that are now worried about the anonymity and privacy Silk Road was once known for.

Atlantis VS Silk Road: It's a Drug Website War

Right from the start, Atlantis has made it clear that this new site is not like Silk Road. The CEO of Atlantis, ‘Vladimir,' openly stated that ‘Atlantis is the Facebook to Silk Road's Myspace.' Ouch.

Within just a few days of posting an Atlantic YouTube video (the video has been pulled now), Atlantis received more than enough attention with 100,000 views. The new company promises less down time, better drugs, and a site that just functions properly – heck, Atlantis even has a marketing department, that's how dedicated this company is to the trade. However, cyber drug wars don't go without violence, either.

Under Attack

Recently (back in April, to be precise), Silk Road was shut down for almost an entire week. The site had been hacked, and servers went haywire. No private or sensitive information was lost or stolen, but it was enough to shake the confidence that Silk Road users had in the site.

Internet drug lords don't fight each other with weapons, they fight each other with cyber attacks. This might seem laughable to some, but shutting down a lucrative business like Silk Road for a week is a big deal. Some blame Atlantis for this attack, though the rival site does not claim responsibility. Even though the two sites don't get along, it seems, both of them are now fighting for more exposure.

Pirates Among Us: Accessing The Silk Road or Atlantis

Both Dread Pirate Roberts and Vladimir have to be very careful when it comes to attracting new clients, but that doesn't change the fact that marketing is still important. In order to access the Silk Road, one has to go through the secure Tor network. Now, though, Roberts has posted a temporary website called Silk Road Link that tells people how to access the Silk Road.

Roberts, it seems, is feeling the pressure from Atlantis – a company that's already used YouTube to spread the word. All of this is astounding in its own right, but it's even more amazing considering how these sites send illegal substances to buyers – through the federal post office. Yeah, that's the crazy part. All of this privacy and secrecy just to have your Bitcoined, highly secure, package sent to you via post. My mind is blown. Yours?